Riots over harsh new austerity measures left three bank workers dead and engulfed the streets of Athens on Wednesday, as angry protesters tried to storm parliament, hurled Molotov cocktails at police and torched buildings. Police responded with barrages of tear gas.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet approved legislation on Monday that would give Greece $29.6 billion over three years as part of a wider bailout, as the German government acknowledged that letting Greece go bankrupt could send the euro into a tailspin and hurt Germany's own economy.

New austerity measures must be taken for the survival of debt-ridden Greece, Prime Minister George Papandreou said Friday, as negotiations on details of a rescue plan with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union entered the final stretch.